Why Our Brain Fights Glucose Tabs (And How to Retrain It)
Our low-blood-sugar brain doesn’t care about logic. It just wants the most comforting (aka worst) option for treating a low. So why does our brain fight glucose tabs? And how can we retrain it to actually reach for them? Today, we’re...
The episode, word for word
Hey, welcome back to Our Best T1D Year! I'm Neil Greathouse, and if you've got 5 minutes, you've got time for this podcast, whether you're out for a walk, stuck in traffic, or trying to figure out why your phone is sending the same group text five times in a row.
Today, we're talking about something weird: Why our brain fights glucose tabs.
We know they work. We know they're faster. So why do we still reach for cereal, juice boxes, or an entire loaf of banana bread?
When we're low, our brain goes into survival mode. It's thinking:
"We need food NOW."
"Eat something big to fix this."
"Glucose tabs? That's not real food."
It doesn't care about logic or science, it just wants fast relief in a way that feels emotionally satisfying.
That's why we crave familiar comfort foods over a chalky glucose tab.
Here's the good news: We can reprogram this response.
A few tricks that work: Associate glucose tabs with safety, not restriction. Instead of "Ugh, I have to take a tab," think: "I'm choosing the fastest, easiest option." Keep glucose tabs easily accessible. When we're low, we need something within seconds, not buried at the bottom of our bag. Use them once, then notice how fast they work. Reinforce that they actually fix the problem without a rollercoaster rebound.
This won't happen overnight, but the more we use glucose tabs, the more our brain will accept them as "the right move."
Lows are stressful. We're not doing a bad job, we're doing a difficult job.
But every time we make one small shift, we make the next time easier.
So even if our brain still craves that slice of key lime pie, the fact that we're thinking about this at all? That's a win.
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Alright, see you in the next episode. Remember, we got this! Nobody remembers easy, what we're doing is pretty much incredible. I'm excited to hear about Our Best T1D Year Ever.
6 - Feb 26
This is the script as read on the mic, lightly tidied for reading. Education, not medical advice. Talk to your care team before you change anything about your insulin.